Demi Lovato Sued By Sleigh Bells For Copyright Infringement

Demi Lovato is currently facing a lawsuit brought against her by indie rock outfit Sleigh Bells. The duo claim elements of her 2015 song “Stars” are similar enough to their 2010 track “Infinity Guitars” to warrant copyright infringement.

Sleigh Bells members Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller filed the complaint today (August 22) and name Lovato, UMG Recordings and the track’s producers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub as the case's defendants, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"A comparison of the two songs reveals that, at the very least, the combination of the hand claps and bass drum, structured as 3 quarter beats and a rest, with the bass drum providing a counter-rhythm to the hand claps, is at least substantially similar in both works," says the band's complaint. "This infringing material repeats throughout the Defendants’ song."

They claim the track’s sonic similarities “transcend the realm of coincidence."

The group initially called Lovato out over "Stars" on Twitter back in November 2015, writing, ".@ddlovato Demi Lovato flattered you guys sampled Infinity Guitars & Riot Rhythm for ‘Stars’ but we were not contacted. Gotta clear those.”

At the time, the song’s producers — Falk and Yacoub — released a statement to Billboard, denying they’d sampled Sleigh Bells.

“We did not use any samples in Demi Lovato’s song ‘Stars,’” they said. "Demi was also not involved with the production. She only wrote top line.”

Listen to the two songs below and let us know if you think Sleigh Bells have a case.